Neighbors are on edge in this east Raleigh neighborhood where homeowners say they bought in for the relative peace and quiet. But during the past few months, the Weslyn subdivision has been hit with a string of break-ins. And, this week brought a violent encounter for a wife and mother outside her home on the 4000 block of Wester Road.

Frank Romero showed ABC11 the scene of the crime: His back porch.

Romero's wife, Nahi, only speaks Spanish, so Romero translated as Nahi described the horrifying few minutes that played out on the porch after she walked out the back door to prepare food for their dogs.

"(Nahi) was facing this way and somebody snuck behind her and grabbed her through the back," Romero said. "And he put his hands in her mouth like that and told her to shut up and get in the house."

Nahi said the attacker kept asking, "Where's the money?"

"And he kicked her in the back several times, that's when she started screaming," Romero said.

Nahi said that to shut her up, her attacker gripped her mouth so hard that his fingers tore through the roof of her mouth. In the struggle, she was cut several times with the attacker's knife.

But this crime story has a hero -- on four legs. Frank and Nahi's 7-year old American Bully, "Tank," emerged from the house during the attack. Nahi said the guy got one look at the dog and took off running.

"(Tank) did his job," Romero, who was not home at the time, said.

"Nervioso," Nahi said in Spanish, noting that the attacker got nervous.

But her husband is angry. Romero's not shy about showing his concealed carry gun license. He said he refuses to live in fear.

Since Nahi's attack on Monday, The Weslyn Homeowner's Association called an emergency meeting. Residents were alerted that there have been eight or nine break-ins during the past few months.

Nahi did not get a good look at her attacker -- only able to tell police that he was a black man who appeared to be in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall with a thin build, wearing black jeans and a dark-colored shirt.

If you know anything, you're urged to call Raleigh Police at 919-996-3335 or report the crime online.